Unwanted Interest
by Maori
Summary: “I never pegged you as a do-gooder” Bakura said mildly, leaning up against the wall. Isis shrugged.” I’m not...." Set after Battle City Tournament. Read &Review!
1. A Meeting

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. My Best friend owns Ria. I am nothing more than a poor depraved authoress who is trying to make said best friend's very belated b-day present. Her and Bakura in their very own fic. Enjoy

"I never pegged you as a do-gooder" Bakura said mildly, leaning up against the wall. Isis shrugged." I'm not. However, when your Millennium Item tells you the future, you have a responsibility to see that future come to pass."

Bakura raised an eyebrow." I thought it was hard to see anything directly connected to a Millennium Item, including the people that hold them."

Isis started to pace, cocking her head as she thought. " The key to that statement is 'the people who hold them'. Ryou has the Ring most of the time, so he holds it. You are not part of the Ring, you only reside in it."

Bakura frowned. " After 'residing' in the Ring for the better part of 5,000 years, you'd think it would somehow effect me." Isis blinked, then shrugged. Bakura stood up." This has been very interesting, I assure you. However, I won't help you. There is nothing in it for me, and." Isis cut him off. " Are you sure about that? The last time I checked, you…lacked companionship, shall we say." She grinned " There is much in it for you, I think." Bakura scowled at her. "I pick my own 'companionship' as you put it so eloquently. As I said, I see no reason for me to go along with this." Bakura snorted. " I can't believe I'm even having this conversation. I have better things to do besides help you. If what you say happens, oh well. If not, oh well." Bakura smirked.

Isis sighed. " Well, I did try." Bakura chuckled. " Did you really expect me to help you?" Isis smiled. " No. But now I will later have the pleasure of saying 'I told you so'." Bakura rolled his eyes and started toward the door. " Now, if our little conversation is done…" Isis nodded. " However, " She was cut off as the door opened and a girl barreled in, out of breath. " Isis, I found your brother by himself in the Egypt exhibit… again!"

She exhaled loudly in frustration. " How does he do it!" Isis stifled a grin. " You should know better by now Ria, Malik goes where ever he wants." Ria grumbled as Isis tried not to laugh. Bakura stood off to the side, unobserved by the newcomer. Isis walked over to Ria. " Calm down. This happens all the time." Ria snorted. " I know, but this time he tried to hit on me!" Isis just couldn't contain her laughter over this statement.

Ria glared. "Oh I'm glad you think it's funny. I sure as hell don't." Gradually Isis stopped laughing." Oh come off it Ria. The reason you're mad is Malik only flirted with you to get out of trouble." Ria stopped glaring and chuckled. " Thank you ever so much. You're the very image of a pillar of support." Isis snorted. "Must have been a major blow to your ego, huh?" Ria made a face.

Isis grinned. " Oh, by the way, I want you to meet someone." Isis went over to Bakura, dragging Ria with her. "Ria, this is Bakura. Bakura, Ria." Bakura went rigid. He hadn't had a chance to get a good look at her face before, but now he did. He felt himself caught in the gaze of the blue eyes looking at him. No, not totally blue, there were flecks of green and gray that made her eyes change color if you looked too long. With that thought he pulled back and schooled his expression into cool indifference.

Isis saw that one moment when the mask slipped and surprise showed on Bakura's face. So fast was it gone that if she hadn't been looking for it, she would have doubted what she saw. She grinned to herself. Is he in for the surprise of his life. It was almost too funny. She could almost pity the guy. Almost.

Ria was surprised. She hadn't noticed him when she first came in. Bakura, Isis had said. He wasn't old, but his hair was silver-white, and his eyes were brown. She found herself comparing them to the color of the mahogany desk her grandfather used to own. She almost thought she could see gold in them. Not the gold in rings, but the burnished color of the ancient artifacts brought in. Ancient, like his eyes. As she thought this, he seemed to look into her soul. With a shiver, she pulled away.

Isis saw this as well, and couldn't help but feel smug. You guys are so gone, and you don't even know it.

Feeling like he had to get back control of the situation, Bakura smiled coolly at Ria." Malik is very accomplished at side stepping authority. I'm sure Isis is quite capable of handling her brother." Ria just gaped. Who did he think he was? Any interest there had been evaporated. " But Isis doesn't get paid for it, I do." She smirked, and then to Isis, "Any way, I thought I'd tell you." Isis hid a grin by pretending to cough. Oh this was going to be good. Bakura headed for the door. " Oh, Bakura, I forgot." Isis then said something in Ancient Egyptian.

Bakura scowled at her. " You and I will talk later", he snapped, then left. Ria rounded on Isis. " Speak. Now." Isis chuckled. " I suppose having a friend who is multilingual in ancient languages can get annoying." Ria just glared." What did you mean by that? There she is, the significant other? What is that supposed to mean?" Isis grinned. " It's complicated. Let's just say that I know for a fact, if you get to know Bakura better, it will have very interesting results." She rolled her eyes suggestively. Ria groaned." You're kidding. I mean, he looks okay. If it weren't for the attitude problem, I might be interested. As it is, no thanks."

Isis chuckled again. " Now that the whole Battle City thing is over, it should be interesting to see how Bakura handles regular life." Isis was trying to decide if it was best to explain about Yami's and Hikaru's to Ria. Having 2 Bakuras around might cause problems. No, just leave it alone for now. Ria frowned and started chewing the nail on her forefinger. " Does this have anything to do with your necklace?" Isis groaned inwardly. Ria was a good friend, but the girl was to intelligent by half." You could say that."

Ria finally sighed explosively. "I was hoping you would explain on your own, but I guess you need a little push. Your necklace looks like one of the 7 images featured on a tablet I found while I was doing inventory on the things in storage a couple weeks ago. What are the images supposed to mean?"

Isis gave her friend a half grin. So much for leaving it alone. " What you saw were the 7 Millennium Items. I have one, the Millennium Tauk. One friend has the Millennium Puzzle. Bakura has the Millennium Ring and the Millennium Eye. Malik has the Millennium Rod. Another friend has the Millennium Key and the Millennium Scales. Together, they give the bearer enough power to rule the world. So far, 3 of the Items have some how caused their bearer to house another spirit. These are called Yami. The people that originally inhabited the body are the hikaru. The Bakura you met is a Yami. The other, the hikaru, his name is Ryou. They look very much alike, almost as if they were twins. It will be easy for you to tell the difference though."

Ria gave her friend a look, then smiled. " Two of them? Why Bakura and not this Ryou guy then?" Isis frowned. " I'm not sure. It might have something to do with the fact that," Isis suddenly grinned," Ryou is only about 16 years old. That would make you a cradle robber." Ria swatted playfully at her friend. Isis snapped her fingers.

" Speaking of robbers, Bakura is also known as Tomb Robber. 5,000 years ago, he was famous for robbing pharaoh's tombs. One of our theories is that he tried to steal the Ring and it sucked in his spirit in retaliation. He has no memories before the Ring, so we have no way to know for sure." Isis smiled and did a little half laugh. " He and Malik have been known to steal and shoplift every once in a while." She snorted." He says it's necessary to keep up his skills. Malik just does it for fun."

Ria grimaced. " He would. After he stole that vase and bowl… Man. It still pisses me off when I think about how freaked out I was about. I drove myself crazy looking for them. I'm just waiting for his next prank. I think he enjoys scaring me by popping in and out of the exhibit like he does. So Malik and Bakura are friends?" Ria couldn't help but be interested. The guy was 5,000 years old?

That would explain the feeling of something ancient she had when she had looked into his eyes. It wasn't fair! She had always been a sucker for old stuff, especially if it was Egyptian. She narrowed her eyes at her friend. Isis knew this, and was probably counting on it. But damn it, knowing the trap was there didn't help her any. She was still going to walk right into it. Her curiosity wouldn't let her do anything else.

She groaned in exasperation. " I know what you are doing Isis. You stick a living, breathing artifact, and Egyptian at that! in front of me, and expect me to be a goner." Ria sulked slightly; annoyed at the fact Isis had maneuvered her into a corner. " Congratulations, you were right." She glared at her friend " Evil, evil woman, " Ria grumbled, "Manipulating me like that."

Isis laughed long and hard at that accusation then wiped laugh tears from her eyes. "Oh come on," She teased, " Now that you know he's an artifact, and an Egyptian one at that, you won't be able to keep your hands off the man. And we both know that you won't mind a bit. He doesn't look like much, but he's no weakling. I think you'll find him up to your standards."

Ria's standards consisted of: built, sexy, great personality, equal to her in intelligence, and interest in ancient Egypt. So far she had not been successful. In her opinion, a man like that didn't exist. She had said as much to Isis before. " Up to my standards?" Ria snorted " You of all people should know better. You always said my standards were too high." Ria saw her friend's eyes shift. " Wait a second. How long have you known about this Bakura thing?"

Isis stared. Damn it. The girl way too damn smart." A year or two." Ria rolled her eyes and barked a laugh. "Well, I should have guessed. I have work to do, and when I think of more questions, I'll ask" Ria left shaking her head. Never a boring day at her work, she thought wryly

Please review. I might post some of them in the next chapter. And I honestly can't know if the fic is any good or not if you all won't say anything.Maori


	2. A Conversation

Walking into her apartment, Ria sighed. Rolling her head on her shoulders to get rid of any kinks left over from work, she stepped into her kitchen. Putting her keys on the counter, she pressed a button on her answering machine. 

   " Hello", the voice said. " You have…3 new messages. Please input your password." Pause, as Ria keyed in the password for her answering machine. " Thank you. You have…2 messages in mailbox one. First message." 

    Ria waited as a male voice came from the machine. "Hello. Congratulations! You qualify for…" Ria rolled her eyes and pressed another button. 

    "Second Message… Ria-Chan!" a voice squealed. Ria grinned as she recognized the voice of her best friend. "Oh My God! You won't believe what happened to me! Damn! I got to go, talk to you later sweetie. Bye." 

     Still grinning, she pressed another button, waiting impatiently for the next message. " Message Three." The voice said.  The message started. 

      "Hey babe. What's up? I know you miss me. Whatcha doing? I'm might be able to visit tomorrow. If it works out that I can, I'll meet you at work, K? Miss you sweetie. See ya!" Ria gaped, then a slow grin lit up her face. Sai was coming to visit… This was great! 

*    *    *    *

Isis was working in her office at home when she heard the front door open. No one had knocked, so it was either her brother, his Yami, or Bakura. She was betting on the latter. As she heard her office door open and close softly, she knew it was Bakura. Marik never came in her study, and Malik would have slammed the door, hoping to surprise her. 

     "Hello." She said without turning around. "If you wait until I finish this…" She signed the paper in front of her, then put her pen down. She turned around. " Yes…" she said coolly, at the same time silently laughing. She was surprised he had managed to stay away this long. 

      Bakura gave her his famous stare. "Care to explain?" He didn't have to elaborate, they both knew what he was talking about.

          " Not really. I explained it already. Whether or not you were actually listening to me is a different matter entirely." Isis crossed her arms over her chest. She started to tap her foot, then stopped. Was he actually growling at her? She laughed then, a short barking laugh designed only to annoy him further. It worked. 

       "I'm glad this amuses you, however, the situation holds no humor for me." Bakura leaned against Isis desk, hands in his pockets and legs crossed in front of him.

"And why not? I told you…no, warned you about it. You felt it, I saw it on your face." Isis really did try to keep the smugness out of her voice, but she wasn't very successful.

Bakura snorted. " It? What are you talking about?"

Isis grinned. " I saw your face… she surprised you. You saw something in her eyes, and it surprised you."

 "What do you mean? She didn't surprise me at all."

"Really? "

Bakura gave Isis a suspicious look. "What exactly did you see in that vision of yours? You never really told me what it was you saw."

Isis did a little half laugh, it was obvious he was trying to change the subject. "Ah, the million dollar question…what exactly did I see. What if I said that I wasn't going to tell you?

"I would tell you that you were bluffing" 

"Too true, my friend." The amusement in Isis voice was unmistakable. 

"Well….?" His impatience was beginning to show.

Isis shifted." Actually, it was more that one vision. Each of them didn't make sense until I put them together." Isis mentally crossed her fingers, hoping Ra wouldn't strike her down for her lie.

"You had multiple visions that were connected?"

Isis nodded. "Ya, it was the first time something like that had happened." 

"So what did you see?"

Isis took a deep breath. "If you and Ria don't get together, in the alternate timeline, she dies."

Bakura stared at her in amazement. "You never said anything about ... about ...that." His tone indicated his distaste.

Isis laughed then, a real laugh, not the sarcastic one of earlier. " Well, I guess you are human after all. I was starting to wonder. I have a feeling that the whole dying thing makes it totally different."

Bakura pretended not to care. "So what if she dies?"

Isis raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh?…. I know you better than that."

Bakura snorted, the replied, "Really?", mimicking her earlier words mockingly.  

Isis continued, ignoring his tone. "I also know you well enough to know that if you do become involved with her, it will be out of a sense of duty. Which is something most people don't know you have. However, if you get together with her just so she doesn't die, it accomplishes nothing."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Please don't go all Professor on me, you stopped teaching years ago, remember? I know what it all means."

Isis walked closer to him. " Then you understand why I have to do this, right?"

Bakura gave her a look. "Do what?"

 "Sorry Bakura, but I'm going to have to wipe your memory." Isis really was sorry, she hated having to do this sort of thing.

Bakura snorted. 'And how do you plan on doing that?"

Isis pulled out the Millennium Rod. 

"You'll remember again when it is time. "

Authors note: The Millennium Ring can modify peoples' memory. If Isis uses the Rod on Bakura, she can make him modify his own memory. Make sense? Any more questions, put them in a review. The feedback I got on my last chapter was pitiful. Only 2 review. Come on people, I don't care if you flame me, just something for me to work with, okay?  Try it, I bet its not as painful as you think it is. And thanks to Crissy the Amazing for her wonderful support. 


	3. A Warning

"You don't know if they really can find him", a voice said out of the dark, startling her. Pharaoh Yami seemingly materialized in front of her, and she relaxed. Somewhat. "I have no idea what you are talking about," she replied, her voice cool.

The chuckle she got in response was genuine. Yami leaned against the edge of her desk, arms crossed over his chest. "Do you really think I don't know? That I haven't seen you put a plan into action that will affect both of them, affect them so they will never be the same to each other and everyone around them?"

The amusement in his voice quickly turned to anger, making her flinch. " The ability to see into the future is a gift, Ishizu, and the information you recieve is not something to be used lightly or on a whim. You are to serve others, not yourself. Moreover, you lied about what you saw to manipulate." Yami sighed, suddenly looking very weary.

"I know it has been difficult for you," he continued softly, " but you must remember what it is the Tauk was created for. If you try to guide the future…..the paths change. It is very difficult to see clearly the path you want, for now all the actions you could take must be reflected. The waters have become muddy, for the lack of a better analogy. Isis…."

Her Pharaoh shook his head slowly and gave her a stern gaze. " I will not interfere. Because Odeon deserves better, and because to stop you would cause irreparable harm. You have tied my hands Ishizu, otherwise I would be unwilling to let you do this. But….this I will do. If you were to bring lasting harm down on those involved, it is on your soul. This I decree. "

Yami lapsed into normalcy for a moment as he said, " Please be careful. I would not wish that on anyone, much less one of my devout priestesses. I hope you know what you are doing" And then he was gone.

Isis slumped in her chair. The Pharaohs criticism had stung more than she had thought it would. She knew he would have came to her about what she was doing sooner or later, but had thought herself prepared for his chastisement. It had hurt more than she thought it would. Isis put her head in her hands and tried not to cry.

AN: Yah I know…..bashes head Way to short for my tastes too, but you guys deserve this. I hate making people wait too long. Review! Damn you! Love ya Ria…..


	4. A Problem

Alright you guys, here it is. Another short one I know. I debated on whether or not to make it longer, but I decided to keep it as is. Sorry about it taking so long, my Muse went on vacation and I didn't get the memo. Enjoy!

_Blue eyes. Blue eyes and dark hair, like a cloud around her face. A face he felt drawn to. He fought it, mind and body. She meant nothing to him, Nothing! He snarled, refusing to bow to the inevitable. He fought, and kept on fighting, until he was exhausted. He stood, panting, as the figure approached him. He averted his eyes, avoiding the pools of blue he knew would snare him. He jumped at the feel of a hand on his cheek, unwillingly turning into the touch, savoring the contact. Fingers, tracing his jaw, with a tenderness no one had shown him, not in 5,000 years. The feelings he had fought washed over him, kept back no longer, the barrier broken by the feel of skin on skin. Longing, for something he refused to name, and another emotion that pushed the longing aside, replacing it with something he had refused to feel, refused to acknowledge, since before he could remember. It was fleetingly, barely recognizable. Yet it was there, and he whimpered at the knowledge it brought. Then, finally, the ultimate weapon in a battle he could not hope to win. Denial. Refusal to accept what he had seen, what he felt…_

Bakura bolted upright, gasping, shaky and sweaty, with his sheets damp and clinging to his body. His dream fled, leaving only the faintest of recollections. The sense of loss lingered though, mocking him. He felt so alone, and he had no idea why. His mood murderous, Bakura stalked to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He shook his head, flinging droplets, most of which ended up on the mirror above the sink.

Running a towel over his face, he growled, cursing Isis to the underworld and back. Her memory wipe had only been temporary, and the events that had assaulted him as he walking in the door had plagued him all night. He wasn't sure why the modification hadn't worked as planned, but he had an idea. Bakura avoided thinking of the real reason for his mood. Glancing at his bedside clock, he grimaced. " 3 o'clock in the bloody morning…." He grumbled as he pulled on a pair of sweat pants, know that any further attempt at sleep would be futile. Black tee next, then sneakers. Maybe a run would help to clear his mind….

Review? Please? My inspiration for this story seems to run hot and cold, so anything would be helpful.


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